If Mozart was not from this city, would Salzburg still be known by the world?

On the express train from Vienna to Salzburg, the scenic views have changed from urban architecture to mountains and farmlands within two and a half hours. Looking at these changes has increased my expectation of what is waiting for me ahead. 

Once I left the train station, packed with tours and school visits, and walking in the same direction, it reminded me what a holiday should be like, and I felt excited about a new adventure. 

Following the crowd for 15 minutes from the train station, I knew I was in the right direction and was looking forward to exploring what made this city so attractive. 

Without using Google Maps for navigation, the contrast of architectural design from a modern house to a line of mid-European classical and historical design, I knew I had arrived at the old town. 

Walking along the main narrow pedestrian street (Getreidegasse) with linked buildings on both sides painted with different colours. The ground floor of these buildings is shops, and every shop has an excellent traditional-style shop sign hanging on the facade of the building. Though it was a busy street, with crowds moving around, surprisingly, I felt a sheet of calmness and peace in enjoying every corner. 

Suddenly, I saw groups of people standing in front of a bright yellow building taking photos. Undoubtedly, that is the most famous building everyone knows in Salzburg. 

The first day I arrived in Vienna, the hotel receptionist said, “Talking about the understanding of Salzburg, if you are ten Austrians, they would all tell you it is the birthplace of the well-known musician Mozart.”

Passed through the ticket office, my journey to understanding this talented musician began from the top floor of the building. The wall of every room has a detailed explanation of Mozart’s background and life story. 

Every room has its setting and purpose in telling the story of the young Mozart and his family. From his family tree, the space where Mozart was born displays the first completed music document, the violin he used, and the pianoforte. Suddenly, I felt like I was in the 18th century, creating a close bond between Mozart and me. He is just in front of me. 

At the end of the main street is a Mozart statue in the middle of the square, remembering the talented musician reflects his position in the city. People were sitting around this statue to take photos, and students took notes on their assignments to explore more about this famous person. 

“Excuse me, do you know where the Mozart residence is?” A tourist asked a resident sitting next to the statue.

“It is just down the street, and you will see a bright yellow building,” said the resident with a finger pointing in that direction.

While I was at the square, I heard local people being asked the same question several times. But, every time, they would answer those tourists patiently with a warm, welcoming smile. At that moment, I was thinking, how do they feel about living in a city with a well-known representation and tourists are so fancy about him? Is it a good thing for a city that is famous because of this talented musician and attracts many tourists?

I was not only attracted by Mozart to visit Salzburg. Unlike Vienna, Salzburg is surrounded by mountains and a river between the old and new towns. On my way to the old town, I was eye-caught by those houses and the Fortress on the cliffs.

Walking up the steep slope to the Hohensalzburg Fortress, I kept asking myself if it was the right decision and wondering how the people in the past sent the resources up there. However, seeing many other tourists walking with me, I knew it was the right decision to go up there. 

At the midway point, when I saw people taking out their cameras. My camera was already in my hand when I recovered from amazement at what was in front of me. The entire old town was right under my eyes, and I could see every corner I had just been to moments ago. 

When I reached the top of the mountain and saw the entrance to the Hohensalzburg Fortress, the group of people in front of me suddenly turned around and started walking down to the old town. 

Being so confused about their decision, I asked, “Is it still open for a visit?”

“Yes. However, we think the entrance fee is a bit expensive and is not interesting to us,” said one of them.

After hearing their answer and finding out the price of the entrance fee, I struggled for a few seconds with whether I should pay for it or not. While I was having difficulties making decisions, I saw the visitors had perfect smiles when they left the Fortress. At that moment, I decided to queue up for the ticket. 

Once I passed through the gate, another steep slope was waiting for me to hike up. When I arrived at the top, I first saw not the Fortress but a church, tiny houses, and staterooms. Some of the visitors were having lunch and permitted cars to pass by. I felt like I was in a neighbourhood community rather than visiting a tourist attraction.

Walking towards the end of this ‘neighbourhood community, I saw groups of people coming from the opposite direction with cameras in their hands with satisfying emotion. I knew I was in the right direction to the fortress panoramic viewpoint.

“Wow, Salzburg is such a large city, and so many places haven’t yet been to.” Looking at the mountains and the river on the other side of the city. I was very impressed by the beautiful scenes in front of me. 

Suddenly, I felt like my feet were glued to the ground, and I forgot how to move. In the past, I believed this picturesque scene of mountains connected without seeing the end and blending in with the blue skyline could only appear in postcards or animations. So even though I was able to see this fantastic view in person, it was still a surreal experience for me.

Besides the view I had seen at the midway point, from the panoramic terrace, I could also look at the picture behind other mountains. Under the breeze and comfortable sunshine, as a born and raised city girl, I could finally experience the beauty of nature. Also, it had washed away all the tiredness of walking up the slopes, and I forgot my feet were aching. I am glad I didn’t turn my back and leave when I saw a ticket office because the view was gratifying. 

There is a tram station at the other end of the panoramic terrace. When walking up to the top, I was already attracted to those trams travelling between the bottom and the top. Initially, I thought it required an additional fee. Therefore, I didn’t have the intention to check it out. However, when I saw visitors scan their entrance tickets through the gate, I tried out my ticket to pass through the gate. 

It took around three minutes to travel from the top to the bottom. Even though it was a saviour for my aching legs, I did not regret hiking up to the Fortress. The tram’s design provided high visibility of the picturesque view, but it was more like taking an elevator. My vision was limited; more importantly, I could not stop by and take a photo. 

When I left the tram, I saw a group of people surrounding two people. This made me curious about what was happening that could cause people to break out from their busy life or make a stop in their journey.

Between those two people is a vast chess board painted on the ground with a-metre tall chess.

“Can I give you a suggestion? Why don’t you move this chess to there?” An audience said when one of the players took a while to consider his next move.

“If he moved that chess there, I could attack him with other chess,” said the player. 

After 20 minutes, more people stood behind me watching the game, and those who had been there from the beginning were still there. 

“That’s a great game. Nice to meet you, and I hope to see you again.” When the game was over, both hugged respectfully before walking in a different directions. Within a few seconds, everyone had already left when I turned around, and seems nothing has happened. 

At the train station, I heard the group discussing how excited they felt visiting Mozart’s birthplace and eating the chocolate with Mozart’s image on the package. A question suddenly came across my mind: If there wasn’t Mozart this person and his fame, would this city be so attractive to them? 

For me, Salzburg is far more than just Mozart’s birthplace, this city has more stories to tell its visitor.